Overview of the Collection

Creator:

Kafoury, Gretchen

Title:

Gretchen Kafoury papers

Dates:

1971-1983 ( inclusive )

Quantity:

19.5 linear feet (14 containers)

Collection Number:

Coll 353

Summary:

Gretchen Kafoury co-founded the Oregon chapter of NOW in 1970 and the Oregon Women's Political Caucus in 1971. She served as an Oregon State Representative (1977-1982), as a Multnomah County Commissioner (1985-1990) and on the Portland City Council (1991-1998). This collection is comprised of a variety of materials collected by Kafoury throughout the 1970's and early 1980's that are related to various women's groups and causes.

Repository:

Special Collections and University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries

Funding for production of this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) administered through the Oregon State Library.

Historical Note

Gretchen Kafoury, an Oregon equal rights activist, was born in Walla Walla, Washington in 1942. She graduated with a BA in Music from Whitman College in 1963. From 1964 to 1966, Kafoury lived in Iran as a Peace Corps volunteer. Upon her return to the U.S., she began teaching English as a Second Language in Portland, both at Grant High School and Portland State University. During her time as a teacher, Kafoury became active in volunteer political activities, working on Robert Kennedy's presidential and Wayne Morse's U.S. Senate campaigns in 1968.

In 1970 she helped found the Oregon chapter of the National Organizaton for Women (NOW) and the Oregon Women's Political Caucus (OWPC) in 1971. From 1971 to 1975, she served on the Metro 4-C Council and she continued to lobby for several women's groups. In 1972, Kafoury aided in the Mink for President Committee, which supported the Hawaiian native, Patsy Mink, in her attempts to get on the presidential ballot. In 1974, Kafoury worked on Barbara Robert's gubernatorial campaign. In 1975, she began working as an EEO consultant.

Kafoury served as a State Representative for Oregon from 1977 to 1982, filling the seat her husband had left to continue onto the Senate. During her time as a State Representative, Kafoury's key issues were health care, domestic violence, mental health and nurse practitioners. In 1985, Kafoury was elected as a Multnomah County Commissioner for NE Portland. She continued to hold priority on health care and mental health, but added poverty, homelessness, criminal justice and teen health centers to her key issues.

From 1991 to 1998 Kafoury served on the Portland City Council. She became an instructor in 1999 and she earned her Masters in Public Administration at Portland State University in 2000. Since 1999 she has taught classes related to community development, homelessness and poverty at PSU.

Content Description

The Kafoury collection is comprised of a variety of materials collected by Kafoury throughout the 1970's and early 1980's that are related to various women's groups and causes.

Series I: Organizations/Political Groups contains correspondence, newsletters and general subject files regarding various organizations and political groups that Kafoury associated with.

Series II: Bills/Legislation/Laws consists of correspondence, publications and notes regarding House and Senate bills and laws.

Series III: Conferences is composed of materials collected from major conferences for women's organizations such as NOW and OWPC between 1973 and 1980.

Series IV: Correspondence is comprised of letters between Kafoury and other women's groups members.

Series V: Publications contains newspapers, magazines and newsletters that relate to women's groups and their ideals.

Series VI: Subject Files is composed of correspondence, publications and notes that relate to women's groups and causes.

Collection must be used in Special Collections & University Archives Reading Room.

Restrictions on Use :

Property rights reside with Special Collections & University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries. Copyright resides with the creators of the documents or their heirs. All requests for permission to publish collection materials must be submitted to Special Collections & University Archives. The reader must also obtain permission of the copyright holder.

Archival material may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal and/or state right to privacy laws and other regulations.

Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g. a cause of action for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the University of Oregon assumes no responsibility.

If a researcher finds sensitive personal information in a collection, please bring it to the attention of the reading room staff.

Administrative Information

Arrangement :

Collection is organized into the following series:

Series I: Organizations/Political Groups Series II: Bills/Legislation/Laws Series III: Conferences Series IV: Correspondence Series V: Publications Series VI: Subject Files

Related Materials :

This collection is part of the Oregon Women's Political History Collection, Special Collections & University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries.

Processing Note :

Collection processed by Austin Pliska, 2012.

This finding aid may be updated periodically to account for new acquisitions to the collection and/or revisions in arrangement and description.